Speaker 1: 0:45

Welcome back to another Super Awesome Mix. My name is Matt Zedholm, alongside my co-host and co-founder of Super Awesome Mix, sam Abusalbi. Sam, how are we doing this week?

Speaker 2: 0:54

Doing really well. I'm really excited, as always, whenever we have a guest on the show, which we do today. So today I'm going to be introducing Tori from Calzana Artist Management. So Calzana is a strategic artist-centered management company. They do consulting and artist services as well. They basically help grow artists' careers across marketing and brand strategies, fan and community building and release strategies, as well as song feedback All the things. Tori and I actually met at the gym that I go to here in the Upper West Side and she, funny enough, actually changed my life. I don't know if she knows this or not, because she introduced me to the magic of iced Americanos, which is now my exclusive drink at coffee shops. So ever since that conversation, we had Tori. That is just my go-to drink. Everyone knows it and that's great, but I'm very excited to have you here on the show. Welcome.

Speaker 3: 1:43

Thank you so much. I'm so glad to hear that I changed your life with an iced Americano as everyone, I mean it's going to be the drink of the summer.

Speaker 2: 1:51

I agree. Yeah, exactly, I think Sabrina Carpenter should rewrite her espresso song. It's just be.

Speaker 3: 1:57

Americano. It's Americano, it's a mouthful.

Speaker 1: 2:00

It is. That's tough to get into a song lyric, I feel like. But if anybody could pull it off right Might be Sabrina Carpenter.

Speaker 2: 2:08

Yeah, exactly. Well, this is great. So you know, we got into a conversation. You're working in artist management and you are the co-founder, in fact, of this company. Tell us a little bit more about it. How's that going?

Speaker 3: 2:19

Yeah, it's going really well. Honestly, the company has existed for two years, but I came on last year to do booking for my now co-founder, kelsey. She started it all by herself, which is incredible. But as I was doing booking with her, with her, I was like I want to do so much more, like let me do everything, like let me take you know, let me talk to the clients, let me figure out.

Speaker 3: 2:42

Because I love marketing, I studied film um at nyu um and that's what I thought I was going to do, uh, pre-pandemic. And then um, yeah, so I sort of fell into this strategic role because every time we would have like a meeting every Monday, I would just like take it further and ask her questions and be like can I do this, can I help you with something? And then eventually she's like do you want to just be my business partner? And I was like yes, and so I just on in February I quit my job. It was it's a really funny story, cause like we both went to the Grammys it was my first time and I was still working on wall street at the time and at LAX I had this realization. I was like I don't want to go back to wall street ever again.

Speaker 3: 3:28

And so I just sent my email and quit on the spot and was like, Kelsey, I'm coming, Like I'm I'm full time, Like I'm sitting at the airport, like, oh, my God, God, this is my dream. I'm so scared. But I just felt like I needed to do that. And since February we have grown so much. We've kind of shifted the business model around a bit as well.

Speaker 3: 3:46

We now work with label clients as well, so doing social media strategy for this label that we work with in Denver that's where Kelsey is based and, yeah, so we work with their clients on social media and digital ads.

Speaker 3: 4:01

And then we have our own clients where we really like focus on this artist centered like you know, where are you in your career, how can we meet you and how can we take you to the next level. And then we also offer management for the clients that are then ready, once they have that brand foundation, once they've been playing live for X amount of time, however much experience they have with live make sure that they're honed in on those skills and making sure they have social media, which it's a beautiful tool it's really hard for musicians to use, so once they have that down, like what they're posting and making sure that they're consistent with it. We like to then kind of bring our artist services clients into management and take over, because we know their brand and their music and their aesthetic the best out of anyone. So we figure okay. So if we can offer both, it seems like a streamlined process and they feel like they're being taken care of and they can trust us as well.

Speaker 1: 5:01

Tori, I love that story. I love just the quitting on the spot as well. That's incredible, thank you. But I imagine I mean you said you had a background. You went to film school. Film school making films is about telling stories, and I imagine when you're promoting these artists, you're just trying to tell their stories. So I mean, can you talk about how, like there's actually maybe more of a natural fit than it appears for something like this?

Speaker 3: 5:26

100%, because I'm even building out like sort of you know, the first few months. We really want to dig into the brand. That's really our main focus. And with branding it's not marketing Like. It's not just marketing, that's just like touches the surface, like branding goes so deep that I actually like to think about storytelling, you know, for the musician, but as a movie, like what is the plot of their brand? What is? Who are the characters, the recurring characters, the ones that you invite for a collab? Who are these people? How do we scale it just like a movie? That's what I have in mind when I'm thinking about okay, how can we best tell the story? Who are they? Are they the tragic hero? Are they the rebellious protagonist? Are they the antagonist? And do they? And who's their opponent? So, thinking about all of these plot points and how to develop that, and then making sure that everything ties back to this, because if there's a reference point, it's a lot easier for people to understand the why behind what they're doing.

Speaker 3: 6:34

I see all the time where artists are just like oh, I posted this, posted this video, I posted this video. They have no idea why they posted it. They just like see generally that happening and then they have, they're like and it got three likes like why is that trying to kind of ask us to, to, to explain the nature and the of the algorithms? It's like people want to be entertained, they want your story. I heard this quote the other day Nobody's really looking to discover new music. They stumble upon it but they're not actively like okay, who's saying out now Stream my music? Nobody, people are looking to be entertained. And so once I really grasped that, I was like, oh my God, no-transcript. Think anybody else would take the time to do. And it's actually so, so, so necessary and it does take a few months. But once that's down, everything else is easy.

Speaker 2: 7:56

That's incredible. Yeah, I love that. I think that's a really powerful way of imagining a brand and you've actually given me a lot to think about. After this call, I'm going to dive into our own branding exercise with that in mind, yes, but you know, let's get into your mix, because I'm really excited to talk about it and I'd love for you to just give a brief kind of introduction to what I believe is called Top of the Mountain and 12 songs, same as all of our other mixes on the show. But, yeah, give us a brief introduction before we go into each song.

Speaker 3: 8:25

Yeah, so I am from the North Virgin Mountains. That's where I was born and raised till I was 18 years old and I sort of resented it in a way. I was like, oh, I'm from a small town, like I'm a big city kind of girl which is the biggest cliche you could think of. But I did, I left and I am so glad that I left. I traveled the world, I went to New York, I lived in Spain, and at each point in my life, the older that I get, the more I become reflective and also the more I love where I come from, because I'm like who got this experience to live in literally nature's most beautiful scenery If you look up the blue Ridge mountains, the Appalachian mountains like it's honestly like incredible that I was exposed to different cultures in terms of music. Like I grew up with bluegrass, I grew up with folk I grew up with because I'm an hour away from Atlanta grew up with like R&B, hip hop, rap, like literally so many different types of music that I was always just exposed to and I didn't realize, actually, how much it shaped me. And so whenever I was, you know, putting together my mix, which was, by the way, the like task I've ever had to do in my entire life. You, I changed the title, I changed the flow, I changed the songs. Like up until like that last week I was like like what? Like I was being like super self-critical, like, oh my gosh, is my music taste okay? But then I'm like right, no, let me go back to the roots. Who am I and how can I tell my story? So I guess, reflecting on my own brand, that's sort of how this all came about.

Speaker 3: 10:01

The top of the mountain is one of the places that I seek solace in whenever I go on hikes.

Speaker 3: 10:05

I just sit there, I'm not on my phone, I am completely present and one with the world and I think about my past, my present and my future. So I wanted to tell that story through this mix, where it kind of brings you along. It's like the changing of the seasons, if you really like. Listen to it front to back or top to bottom, whatever visual. You sort of gain a sense of like the changing of the leaves and the sort of like like youth, the youth of springtime, into the chaos and wonder of summertime, and this reflection is starting to settle back in in the fall and the really like focusing on myself in the winter, of, like, who am I? Um, so it really. I wanted to bring the listener on a journey of my own life by including songs that, um, people have shown me or that I've just discovered myself, to sort of show how storytelling is so interesting. I thought about, I was like it's so cool that people share their stories through other people's stories, like that's sharing music.

Speaker 3: 11:02

And so I included a lot of that throughout, and so those are the main themes, but I feel like if I sat here and talked, I could tell you an hour's more of like what they all mean.

Speaker 2: 11:14

No, that's awesome. I think that's a perfect description for the vibe that I got from this mix, and I thought it was really well put together. So let's let's get into it. Track number one top of the mix.

Speaker 3: 11:22

It is 16 by baby keem yes, oh my gosh, the song is like. This song, for me, is like it. Okay, so let me share who shared it with me, which was my brother. Um, he was telling me about like Kendrick Lamar's younger cousin, and I love the title of the song because I was like 16. That's really where my music taste started to like become its own. It wasn't just a reflection of my parents and like what I've been, you know, consuming via my peers, it was really like 16 was like the year that I was making the playlist and developing my music taste.

Speaker 3: 11:58

I feel like the song is just very upbeat and sort of like this, like youthful springtime that I was touching on earlier, where it's just like the sort of the magic of writing with like you feel that first crisp air of like springtime and you're like, oh my gosh, winter's over.

Speaker 3: 12:16

That's how I feel whenever I listen to this song. If you dig into the lyrics, it very much is like it's kind of tragic actually about, like you know, a person in relation to somebody that they may love and they come from like an impoverished background and some tragedies, and if you really dig into it, it's like, wow, how did baby Keem bring levity to this really dark subject and sort of make it like this sort of young love, um, but also so profound, and I just love whenever music is able to do that, because for me music brings levity to my life when I'm going through things, um. So, yeah, it just it. For me it sparked the beginning of spring and it also sparked a lot of like internal, like commentary about the song and what it actually means versus what it sounds like it means.

Speaker 2: 13:07

Right, right, yeah, we talk a lot on the show about, sometimes, the. There are songs where, like, the lyrics match the vibe their songs or they don't, and it all works, doesn't matter, right, like it, all It's's a whatever. However, it is communicating to you is what matters most, I believe. Right, um, and so I totally agree. I think this is a really nice way to kind of open the, the mix up. I think it sets the mood for what's to come and I really enjoyed this one. I just thought it had a very smooth vibe to it. Almost reminded me of pofu, a little bit like, if you're familiar with his music, um, which, uh, I really liked. I went through a phase where he was like all I listened to, but this one is really good and I I really enjoyed having this. Open the track up.

Speaker 1: 13:44

Open the mix up yes all right, so track two you have songbird by ava cassidy yes.

Speaker 3: 13:53

So of course you may know this song as a Fleetwood Mac song, which most people do, but my dad shared this version with me and he is one of my biggest sources of inspiration when it comes to music. Like he is all over the place, but in the best way. Like he is like uh, enya Alison Krauss, and then he can go to REM, like uh the, like he is just well-versed Pink Floyd. Like he loves to show me like live performances. Every time I go to his house he like puts up. He's like watch this, and we watch like a 20 minute documentary or live performance or whatever like has piqued his interest or that he used to watch or listen to. And I love the way that he shares music with me because, you know, of course he showed me the Fleetwood Mac song before, but in passing and things like that. But he was so intentional about the way that he showed me this song and this song really made me think of spring because I was like, wow, song birds, like birds chirping, obviously, but it's such a sweet love song the way that Eva Cassidy sings it. It's so sweet and I love the sweetness in her voice.

Speaker 3: 14:56

It's such a sweet love song the way that Eva Cassidy sings it. It's so sweet and I love the sweetness in her voice. It's almost like the satisfying like she sang it exactly how I would want to sing it if I sang it, like if I had those pipes. Like it was so sweet. It was like a love letter and I feel like love letters are just the purest form of expression of love and it felt like, you know, with my dad sharing this song with me. It's like a love letter like here. Here's a piece of me Also, eva Cassidy. She didn't get famous until after her death and she was an incredible blues jazz soul. Like, if you go into her repertoire, she's amazing and she does incredible covers that make them feel like their own. So I just included that one because it's a song that you know I love. The Fleetwood Mac version, do not get me wrong. I included that one first, but then I started to think about when I'm talking. What would I want to say? And this version really speaks more about me and my experience.

Speaker 1: 15:54

I love that. Yeah, I love all of that. I'm with you. I love the original. But this one was just, yeah, talking about making it your own, even though people are going to be familiar with the song, and I thought this was something you talk about, the sweetness to it.

Speaker 1: 16:06

I felt like this is a version that you could play like at a wedding reception, like it could be someone's first dance or something which I don't know if I would say that about the original, but this one, I think, fits that vibe kind of perfectly. And then I love hearing about you know, your dad and you kind of sharing music like that, because I do that with my daughter a lot of times because she's got a pretty good ear for music and she'll make connections between songs, so she'll, she'll recognize like a sample or something. And then I'll go play her the original. I'll be like no, no, no, this was the original one. Or listen to this. Okay, see how this connects and she's really good with that stuff. So I love hearing about that connection, because I try to do that with her because she's so into music.

Speaker 3: 16:46

That's so special. I love that.

Speaker 2: 16:48

Matt? Have you introduced her to anyone beyond Bruce Springsteen though?

Speaker 1: 16:57

No, it's really just bruce springsteen. I just take any song she's listening to and I go no, no, but listen to this bruce springsteen song like this is. So this is kind of like the jonas brothers, you know like I try to.

Speaker 3: 17:07

There's a line there.

Speaker 1: 17:07

Yeah, the jonas brothers spent some time in new jersey, so it's yeah, anyway, I try to just tie it all back to bruce yeah all right.

Speaker 2: 17:16

Well, let's take it back to where, uh, you are from the blue ridge mountains, and that's track number three by fleet foxes yes, well, this was, I guess, very this one's more of the obvious reasons why I included it.

Speaker 3: 17:28

But the backstory, in summary, is that the fleet, like the fleet foxes, have been the soundtrack to my fall into winter since I can remember, probably since I was 16. Uh, they have a sound that I don't know why, but for me I just feel it so much. I it feels like this, like their music keeps coming up in very important parts of my life. Like I was about to move to spain and the person that I was nannying for, the dad, like put on the Fleet Foxes album that had like a white winter hymnal and like all of their like I think it was that album and they put it on the speakers, like and it came through the ceiling and I almost started crying. I was like this is me, like it just felt like I was just sitting there, like in bliss no-transcript.

Speaker 2: 18:49

That's like one of my. That is my favorite season hands down. I love the changing from summer into winter and this song, I think, absolutely would go on a fall mix for me. I love those opening notes. I'm 100% with you in terms of the emotion that comes through. I wrote Haunting like 15 times when I was talking about this track because I just feel like it has like the instrumentals or Haunting is gorgeous and their vocals are so perfect on top of it, very delicate and just gives you yeah, it gives you all that feeling of kind of change in the air, but also like comfort and coziness and all of that. So I thought this was such a beautiful track.

Speaker 1: 19:28

All right. Track four it is Speyside by Bon Iver.

Speaker 3: 19:34

Yes and well. Bon Iver in general is another. I put them next to Playboxes because it's the same. It's Bears, like for Emma, like that sound whenever they first, like they had I mean that was an incredible album and they deviate from the genre and I love genre bending fancy, but the familiarity it was like I knew the song the first time I heard it and it was so beautiful and poignant and sad.

Speaker 3: 20:21

And I know this song is about like kind of this feeling of guilt about and almost the desire to feel guilt when you do something wrong and mess up a relationship or love or whatever, in whatever way that looks like. And I thought that was a very specific emotion that I was like wow, people probably experienced that, but they've never heard it put into a song like that. And so I kind of included this because it was. It's such a new song but it brings such a reflection for me every time I listen to it and just think about, like people's heartbreaks, my own heartbreaks and sort of this. Like yeah, like desire to feel negative emotion because you feel like you deserve it, which is so sad and wrong, but it's something that we feel at certain points. Um, and so with that emotion. I was like, yeah, I just wanted to include it because I've been putting it on repeat also, like for the since it's released.

Speaker 1: 21:15

I probably listen to it about like six times a week or so yeah, this was one where definitely the lyrics fit the vibe of the song, and you know the lyrics I'll call out here nothing's really something, now the whole thing's soot, and I thought that was just like. You know the lyrics I'll call out here nothing's really something, now the whole thing's soot, and I thought that was just like. You know just the idea that this whole thing's just burned up and it's just destroyed, and it's just the way he describes that. There I'm just like, oh my gosh. So no, you're right, you really do feel it from him, as you always do. Like that's one of the kind of the signature things I think about his music is that you do feel kind of the emotion that he's going for, and I think that's why he connects with so many people. But, yeah, this was a great song, very much in line with Bon Iver, but I mean, I think just another really great offering from him.

Speaker 2: 22:01

Right, all right, let's go on to track five here. This is one you know. You mentioned emotional songs. This is one that almost made me cry. This is River by Leon Bridges.

Speaker 3: 22:11

Leon Bridges is a genius. I love everything that he does, the people that he collaborates with, but this one was so. Actually, interestingly, I, before I had this one on the playlist, I had the Alison Krauss song from oh Brother, where Art Thou? Like, as I went down to the river to pray, I just like it felt very like I mean, I grew up listening to it and my parents would play it and stuff like that. I listened to it at this, like Unitarian church that I went to when I was younger, and so it was just very like a part of my childhood, but I didn't resonate with it as much in terms of you know, what am I actually going to listen to on a day-to-day basis? And I had, I think I had both of them in the playlist, so it was that one and then River, and then I was doing like a little bit more research into River and it was actually inspired by the Alison Krauss song and I was like what? That's crazy, that's awesome.

Speaker 1: 23:07

That's amazing.

Speaker 3: 23:09

I was like so okay, I thought it was just me that felt those similarities in the vibe, but it was literally inspired by it and I just love whenever the choir comes in. I really feel that I didn't grow up like super religious, but I love church in the sense of community and communing with people and feeling the energies of community and communing with people and feeling the energies of people around you and it just feels. This song feels so intentional and it feels like I can just imagine walking, cause I used to have a Creek in my backyard and I just imagined myself walking down the Hill to the Creek and like listening to the song in my headphones and pretending it's a river and it just. It's one of those songs that I think will always be a part of my playlist as I grow up. It has been for a very long time now and, yeah, it's just a really special song for me.

Speaker 2: 23:59

Yeah, this one is just absolutely gorgeous. You know, this is one of the ones where I think like the lyrics and the sound of it really match up beautifully. It has you know, you mentioned church. I wrote that it has like a gospel feel to it and I think just having that choir come in and the bridge with Brittany Jesse and her voice is like unbelievable. I just think it's so gorgeous. Oh my God. That's the part where I just felt very emotional listening to it. Like you can really allow yourself to sink into that, into this song, in that way.

Speaker 3: 24:28

You're so right because, like, that's where it kind of like hits you like in the heart you're like, oh my god, like, yes, why am I like tearing up on accident?

Speaker 2: 24:35

yeah, beautiful song, well done all right track.

Speaker 1: 24:38

Six this is el condor pasa parentheses, if I could, by simon and garfunkel simon and garfunkelkel.

Speaker 3: 24:48

They are my favorite band or group duo because this one is a nod to my dad again. So Bridge Over Troubled Water is my favorite song because it's just like whenever I was like one or two, my dad would just play that song for me. And that song I didn't want to include in here because that one just makes me cry every time I hear it. Like sometimes I'm like I try to do it on the piano and I I'm like this time I'm in a good mood, like I'm not gonna cry, and then I start crying whenever I play it, like it's just one of those songs and I was thinking about like, oh well, I have to have this. I'm in a Garfunkel song just because, like, I know the majority of them and that my dad would be like what, why wouldn't you include them? Um, so El Condor Pasa.

Speaker 3: 25:35

It for me is summer, like it feels like I am going on a hike. This is probably to do with the movie Wild that has this song in it. I don't know if you've seen it with Reese Witherspoon, but incredible soundtrack for the movie. But this one is just really special to me because hiking is also something that I do with my dad. So I was thinking, okay in the summertime, and I'm actually I forgot to say this in the beginning, but I'm moving back to Georgia and the foothills of the Appalachian mountains in one week, actually tomorrow, wow.

Speaker 2: 26:08

Actually at the end of this recording.

Speaker 1: 26:10

This keeps yeah, this keeps advancing, like, actually, guys, we're going to cut it off, I'm going to move. I'm literally driving to Georgia right now. We're going to record the rest of this from the car.

Speaker 3: 26:20

That's so funny. I did not even. I don't think I processed that I'm moving, Although you can see my bed frame in the background.

Speaker 1: 26:25

I thought you were just a minimalist. I just thought you had just assumed yes.

Speaker 3: 26:31

Yes, so to where I'm moving, and so I was thinking about, like, well, I'll have a summer with my dad because that's where he lives, and this would be something that would be on our like combined playlist. It just I love the lyrics so much, like I'd rather be a hammer than a nail. I'd rather be a hammer than a nail. I'd rather be a forest than a street. That that is me. I used to want to be a street and now I want to be a forest, and I think it's sort of like this moment of summertime that goes into the fall of like, who am I becoming? How am I changing? Um, how are these mountains guiding me? And what does it mean to go through the peaks and the valleys and the you know the whole life cycle, but also just one hike as well. Like, I feel like it's all related and I just love the nature imagery and yeah, it's just a nostalgic tune.

Speaker 1: 27:22

Yeah, I mean, it's a beautiful piece of music and it was interesting to learn that it was just originally just an orchestral piece. And then Paulon kind of came across it and was like I'm gonna add some lyrics to it, which is, you know, pretty risky, but I guess if you're paul simon, you can pull that off right, like I mean, I wouldn't want, like justin bieber, to do it, but I feel like paul simon and like that sweet spot in 1970, could totally pull it off. And so, yeah, yeah, just an amazing song and just so cool that he took this piece of music and just kind of made it his own with this, because there's a ton of different versions of the just orchestral music out there, but then this one is unique because of the lyrics. So, yeah, just an amazing choice. And I loved how, you know, amidst all this kind of modern music, you just kind of throw it back to Simon and Garfunkel right here in the middle.

Speaker 2: 28:10

So that's well done thank you all right, let's move on to track number seven, another amazing song. This is Guild the Lily by Billy Strings oh my gosh, billy Strings.

Speaker 3: 28:24

If y'all haven't heard of him, you better hear of him, because he is literally like the most talented musician up and coming but also like very established. Um, billy Strings is, that was another like my dad was. Last time I was with him he was showing me like a Billy Strings interview and it was really cool. But the first time I actually heard this song was in Denver, colorado, in March.

Speaker 3: 28:46

Um, like, the song specifically was shown to me by one of my best friends. She's always had incredible taste in music and there was something about being with her and my other best friend, jessie, who is featured on this playlist We'll talk about later. I guess we were all three of us were in the car and she's like, oh, I have this new song that I just love to listen to. And when I heard, oh my gosh, the band, like the music, the instruments, the way that it like I was in all, like I was in the backseat of the car and I was just like I could just see it. I could see like birds and like clouds and like summertime, it just, it just was one of those, I feel, this songs that was recently introduced to me.

Speaker 1: 29:31

And I was like how?

Speaker 3: 29:31

have I not been listening to Billy strings for the last year? Like this is crazy and, um, yeah, just an incredible piece of music. I love music that really, really it's not just. I feel like a lot of songs today do sound similar. And this feels like music. It feels like you can see these people playing the instruments and getting into it too, Not just you know like this is their lifeblood, and I love songs that make you feel that way.

Speaker 2: 30:03

So I actually saw, I loved the song and I actually thought it was produced by John Bryan, which I love his music. He's done a lot of movie soundtracks that I've enjoyed as well. I think he did I Heart Huckabees, which the soundtrack to that movie is way better than the movie itself, which is amazing.

Speaker 1: 30:19

I love when that happens, but no this is People either love that movie or hate that movie. There's no middle ground there, no, there's no middle ground.

Speaker 2: 30:26

But I hope they can enjoy the music because it's excellent. But no, billy Strings here is. It's a beautiful song. I love the lyrics. I'd sing along with the birds. I'd sing along if only I knew the words and I just there's something about that that is like just really I don't know. So I find that really calming. I'm drawn to those lyrics, I think just because it is like in order to really listen to the birds, those lyrics, I think just because it is like in order to really listen to the birds, you have to be very present, you have to be aware and you just kind of wish you could more commune with them or something in that moment. Right, I think that's why that lyric speaks to me. So I was just. I loved the song. I felt very calm listening to it.

Speaker 1: 30:59

Yes, All right track. Eight we've got these Days by the Jesse Williams Band.

Speaker 3: 31:06

Yes, so I've been listening to this song a lot these days because my friend just released this song. She's also someone that I manage and she's also someone that is from my hometown. I've known her since I was eight and I'm going back and we're going to be together and we are going to be like children together, making music being a part of music, and I am just like this song specifically. It feels more like spring into summer, um, and there's just so much greenery that comes to mind when I think about this song.

Speaker 3: 31:38

I love all the instruments that she uses, um, her band is incredible and the song lyrics it's just.

Speaker 3: 31:45

They're so about like, like moving forward, but like we all have these similar experiences in life and there's so many cycles where, like, rinse and repeat you know this monotony that we have but like we're somehow still moving forward, and I love how she's able to capture this really specific concept in her song. And, yeah, I just think she's one of the most talented people that and I listen to her music recreationally, not just because I, you know, am managing her, which I, you know I put it on in my car, I roll my windows down and I drive over the George Washington bridge, usually whenever I'm going to the city, every day. So it's just one of those songs that makes me think about, like, oh, these days, yeah, like, what are these days about? And yeah, it's just, it's one of those songs that makes me think about, like, oh, these days, yeah, like, what are these days about? And yeah, it's just, it's one of those songs that I'm going to have on repeat this summer probably.

Speaker 1: 32:37

I love this song. Yeah, I was not familiar with the Jesse Williams band prior to this but, yeah, definitely going to dive into more of her work. But this one I thought was perfect because the's the beginning of the summer and a lot of people just graduated from high school or college or whatever and I thought this was great lyrically, with like kind of life advice right, and like things to do, like you said, kind of how to move forward and all of that. So, as people are going through these transitions and, like you said, sort of transitioning in seasons, if you will, I thought this was really well done and kind of fits the whole mood of the mix so far as we're going through the different seasons.

Speaker 2: 33:15

Yay, I love that Well hopefully, now that you are moving closer, you will not be alone. But track number nine is Rather Be Alone, and this is by Leon Thomas, featuring Halle.

Speaker 3: 33:27

Oh, my gosh, Leon Thomas is my like current obsession, I would say. But as I started to think about songs and their feelings and their vibes, I, this one really, oh, I don't even know this one is where it's like the end of fall into winter, like I'd rather be alone, which is usually how I feel.

Speaker 2: 33:47

Right.

Speaker 3: 33:48

I'm like I will, you know, take a hiatus from socialization for about you know three months. But I also just like loved the, the um, the woman featured on the song is so incredibly talented and I had never heard of her before. But like bringing like the, the dynamicism between their two voices, like the contrast is, so it's sweet and dark at the same time and I was like, how are you doing this? Like you're cold, like I will definitely like be taking this into winter for me. Um, because it's just one of those that makes me feel like okay to indulge in wanting to be alone and making me feel like maybe my own company is.

Speaker 3: 34:34

It can be preferred, which is not something that I've ever really you know, it's been hard to grapple with is like, you know, I'd rather be alone. And then also just the lyrics of I'd rather be alone than in a broken home. It's so tragic and it's, but it's so. It's like that's like being repeated throughout. So just the storytelling, through the way that it's written, is so simple, yet it tells the story of childhood and just how music can come from something like beautiful. Music can come from something so tragic. Um, so I just really appreciated the song and it's been on repeat since it dropped I think it dropped in like April and I have been non-stop listening to it because I just think it's so beautiful yeah, I, I loved this song too.

Speaker 2: 35:17

I think this is probably one of my favorites on this mix. Um, her voice is gorgeous. I love the. I just love how the song unfolds too, just musically, like that jazzy drum play in the background is just like. So it's perfect. I love it. If you celebrate Christmas or any of the holidays in the wintertime of the year, yeah, you are kind of like forced into a lot of interaction, but, like winter out in nature is generally pretty introspective and quiet and, like you know, bears hibernate and trees go into themselves and into their roots and and everything like that.

Speaker 2: 35:52

So I definitely agree, there's like a tension between you know, hey, we're going to throw you in a bunch of holiday parties and a bunch of social situations versus like you get to just kind of hibernate and go and, you know, be like a little bit alone for a while, and I think that's really important to have that time. So I love that description that you have about that.

Speaker 1: 36:12

All right. Track 10. It is Harvest Moon by Lord Huron, and this is specifically the version recorded at Spotify Studios.

Speaker 3: 36:21

Oh, I love Lord of Huron. They're so good, but I didn't want to include.

Speaker 1: 36:25

The.

Speaker 3: 36:25

Night we Met, because obviously I love that song, but that song makes me really sad, and this song, harvest Moon, makes me want to dance.

Speaker 3: 36:35

At the first sign of fall, the leaves are falling off the trees and I want to dance and it almost feels like a dream in a way.

Speaker 3: 36:47

You have these like, like, and you and the lyrics talk about like, dancing with your loved one and so, which is probably why I want to dance. But I just love the way that it feels like such a sweet introduction, like the harvest moon, the, the. It's so picturesque and because of like, the way that I, you know, visualize this one makes me feel like, oh, I can imagine the moon. There I'm with my loved one, we are just outside, we are like it's probably dusk, which is my favorite part of night, and we're just like little children, like swaying with the leaves and the wind, and just like being a part of the change. Ourself we're moving and life moves and I just love how fun this song is compared to the other song that I love by them, the night we met, but it's so different in the way that it expresses itself. So I just really appreciate this, yeah, the lyrics and just the imagery that comes to mind whenever I listen to it.

Speaker 1: 37:47

Yeah, it's funny that you emphasize the lyrics, because this one I was kind of captivated by the arrangement and just the instruments and stuff in the background to where I was. Like you know, the lyrics could end if they could just kind of keep the music going. Like I'm with you, like I kind of had the same sort of feeling about like just kind of being outside and kind of the vibe that it invoked, and to me I was like I could just listen to this musically just on repeat, you know, and obviously the lyrics add to it as well. But I think that was the part that more captivated me here too.

Speaker 3: 38:18

It was really really cool, really well done You're think that was the part that more captivated me here too.

Speaker 1: 38:26

It was really really cool, really well done. You're so right because if you take out the lyrics you still get that same feeling yeah, really lost, right, right. I found that just really remarkable and really, yeah, really well done, yep all right.

Speaker 2: 38:33

Um, last two tracks on the mix, and I don't know if this was on purpose, but I really loved kind of the book ending here, because this is 17 by Youth Lagoon and we opened the mix up, of course, with a song called 16. So I'm curious if that was just coincidence or you had something in mind here oh yes, I had something in mind I was thinking about.

Speaker 3: 38:54

So this song is very interesting because I listened to it when I was 17,. Definitely, but whenever I was 17, I'm like trying to put myself in the fields of reflecting on 17, having not experienced it, which is like it goes to show that at 17, I was having these big feelings when I was 17,. I'm thinking about myself in the future, reflecting on myself in that moment, and I thought that I was 17. I'm thinking about myself in the future, reflecting on myself in that moment, and I thought that that was crazy. I put the distance between 16 and 17, because, honestly, I feel like it felt like the rest of the songs in between tell the story of the year. So you have all of these changes in nature, you know, blooming and going inward, and these self-reflections and self-discoveries, and then, in 17, you're looking back and you're saying you're no longer interacting with your environment as much, you're more so like. Well, when I was 17, my mama said to me don't stop imagining. And we kind of do stop imagining.

Speaker 3: 39:52

And so the songs that I included are the ones that make me imagine. So I wanted to add this at the very end because, although it was a song that I listened to a lot like, it was one that I had to rediscover while putting this playlist together. I'm so glad I stumbled upon it again because I remember resonating so much with the song, not even knowing what was to come. So it just feels special to, like you know, kind of wrap it up where it started.

Speaker 2: 40:18

Yeah, I love that and it's making me think about songs that I listened to when I was a teenager and got you know, like again, you think you especially, I think, late teens. You feel like you've already arrived, but looking back now, you know I'm I just turned 40 and I'm like I was a kid, you know, like I was very much a child, but I didn't feel that way, you know, I felt very worldly and mature and I think that's like such a fascinating part about late adolescence. So I love that description of it. I'm thinking about the music that I listened to back then and when I thought that I knew everything and I had nothing more to learn.

Speaker 1: 40:53

Which is great, and he has, just for the record. He hasn't learned a thing.

Speaker 2: 40:57

Not a thing. No, there's been no lessons learned it's really at best, I'm like 17 and a half, I think that's it I actually don't allow him to vote.

Speaker 1: 41:11

I have to like restrain him.

Speaker 2: 41:13

I'm like you're not mature enough but no, this is, this is a beautiful song. I I obviously I was going to call out that line too don't stop imagining the day that you do is the day that you die, and I think that that especially is so true. Um, you know, I I love the work that we do on super awesome mix and all the podcasts and everything, because it does force the creativity and I think being creative and being imaginative and, and you know, envisioning a life for yourself is how you stay young and how you stay youthful for sure, because the second you stop dreaming is the second, like I don't know, I feel like you start dying, like there's no better way of putting it exactly.

Speaker 3: 41:53

I yes, just yes well.

Speaker 1: 41:56

I think the title of this last song then fits perfectly with everything we've talked about. It all led to this, so great job putting this together, but the title is I Am, and it's by Georgia Smith.

Speaker 3: 42:07

Yes, I am. Obviously, this was more of a titular nod to the wrapping up of, but also kind of it's a paradox, because it's like we're wrapping up and we are. So I am, in this moment, taking everything, the accumulation of everything I've ever learned throughout life before me, which can be, you know, manifested with this playlist, I guess, encapsulated, um, and I am like and what am I going to take with me? It's it's it's present tense, but it's also like almost stepping in to your own and claiming who you are. I am this.

Speaker 3: 42:43

I do not care what you think this song, if you really dig into the lyrics, it has a huge, broader cultural and societal meaning. But you take it and it's like I don't have to conform to the pressures of everything around me, and that's the biggest realization I had, and it wasn't long ago that I had that. And it's I'm 27 like, and I feel like I'm getting really old and as I get older, I'm like how did it take me this long to step into my, to my power, to my confidence, to who I am, to who I am. Why don't I love myself so radically? And I think this song really gives permission to love yourself radically and the fact that it's in present tense. It just it felt like the ending and yet the beginning.

Speaker 1: 43:36

So, yeah, I just felt like it was the perfect and this is the song that encapsulates winter for me and I used to listen to it, like at nighttime, whenever I was roaming around, like whatever country I was in, and Georgia Smith, she just she's always had my heart, so it has like that feeling, but I also really I just love, I am like yes period, like yes period yeah, I I thought this was great and and really I mean and and you know, talking about from the beginning, the, the four seasons, and you really brought it back around and even when I was listening to it, you know, you did an excellent job of just kind of taking us all the way through, and then this one brought us back, but even though, like lyrically and and title wise, like things evolved.

Speaker 1: 44:19

So I I just thought this was really well put together and just a great way to wrap up the mix here, but also amazing. I mean you said you were 27, but we've also had references on it. I mean NYU film school, you were at the Grammys, you worked on Wall Street, you almost moved to Spain. I feel like you've done way more at 27 than I have, and I'm like you've done way more at 27 than I have, and I'm like way older than you.

Speaker 3: 44:43

And it's so crazy because you pointing that out, it's like, oh yeah, but for me, I'm just like I could be doing more.

Speaker 1: 44:48

That's how I feel, though, about my own life sometimes and like I recently went to a high school reunion and talking to other people, they're like you're doing all that I.

Speaker 3: 45:05

I was like I guess it is a lot, I guess I just don't think about it. Yeah, but you have to have someone be your mirror for you. Yes, yeah, and thank you for for being mine right now. That was really nice well, tori.

Speaker 2: 45:15

Thank you so much, uh, for being on the show with us and for putting together this beautiful mix. I was introduced to a lot of new music and I love how you laid it all out here. This is really really well done, so I really appreciate all the thoughtfulness that you put into it. It really shows. It was a great mix to listen to.

Speaker 3: 45:33

Thank you so much. Thank you all both for having me. This was so fun. I would do this every morning. Honestly, this is like the best way to wake up. So fun, I would do this every morning. Honestly, this is like the best way to wake up. Thank you so much. You have a new fan for life, so yeah.

Speaker 1: 45:48

Thank you, tori. And Tori, tell the people out there if there's artists listening that want to get in touch with you, how can they reach out and maybe get a little help with their careers?

Speaker 3: 46:03

Definitely. Anyone can DM Kelzana. That's K-E-L-Z-A-N-A-M-G-M-T. We're on Instagram and then we also have kelzanamanagementcom, and, yeah, just send us an email or a DM. I'd love to speak to literally everyone, so the more I have in my inbox, the better. And yeah, thank you so much for providing a platform for Kelzana as well.

Speaker 1: 46:17

Absolutely, and we'll include links in the show notes, so anybody out there listening you can go directly there and reach out to Tori and get some help with your career, or just maybe learn about some of these new bands, because I know I got introduced to a lot of new music today, which was awesome. So, thank you so much, sam and I have plenty of other mixes to work on, but maybe we'll have tori back at some point or maybe one of the artists she represents will come on, so so, don't worry, I feel like she may become a recurring character in our story. Okay, I have a feeling there. Yeah, um, so we'll get to work on our next mixes, but for tori and sam, this is and we'll see you next time.